Podgorica (MINA-BUSINESS) - Chief central bank#s economist Dragana Ostojic has said that the 2002 inflation would reach 18 percent and that April month-on-month inflation would be higher than in March because of the introduction of the euro as the sole legal tender in the republic. She said inflation forecasts for this year varied from 5.0 percent (the government forecast) to 13 percent expected by the International Monetary Fund. The government has said inflation in 2002 should not exceed 5.0 percent compared to 23 percent in 2001. Montenegrin economists have so far said that the government#s inflation forecast was realistic if it proves that inflation in 2001 rose due to price liberalisations. Prices in Montenegro rose 0.9 percent in January, posted a cumulative 2.6 percent increase in the first six months and rose further 0.6 percent in March. A realistic inflation forecast is difficult to make in Montenegro because of a lack of accurate economic and monetary indicators. Additional difficulty is uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the agreement on the union of Serbia and Montenegro.